A blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone

Abstract

The application relates to a UAV-based blade lightning protection conductivity tester, which comprises a resistance tester, a UAV and a clamping assembly arranged on the UAV, the clamping assembly is connected with one wire terminal of the resistance tester through a test wire, and the other wire terminal of the resistance tester is connected with a wind turbine grounding terminal through a test wire; the clamping assembly comprises a movable support; the movable support is provided with two groups of parallel arranged telescopic rods, the telescopic rods are provided with elastic structure U-shaped clamps at the ends; a first wire winder is installed on the movable support, a connecting wire electrically connected with the test wire is wound on the first wire winder, and a thimble is arranged at the end of the connecting wire after penetrating through the two U-shaped clamps; the connecting wire is matched with the two U-shaped clamps and the thimble to form a triangular shape, the triangular connecting wire is beneficial to sleeving with a lightning arrester, meanwhile, the telescopic rods in the elongated state provide shape support for the connecting wire, and prevent the triangular connecting wire from being scraped and deformed by strong wind.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of blade lightning protection detection technology, and in particular to a blade lightning protection continuity tester based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Background Art

[0002] Wind turbines are becoming increasingly larger. As these turbines grow, hub height and blade length also increase, making the blades more susceptible to lightning strikes. Therefore, the reliability of blade lightning protection becomes increasingly important.

[0003] Lightning strikes can cause more than just superficial damage to blades. At the very least, they can cause structural damage, while at the worst, they can cause blades to explode, leading to structural damage and even breakage. Ensuring the conductivity of blade lightning protection systems is crucial, directly impacting the stable operation and safety of the entire wind turbine.

[0004] Wind turbine blades are often located at high altitudes. Traditional high-altitude inspection methods pose not only high safety risks to personnel, but are also time-consuming and costly. Therefore, using drones for testing has become a safer and more efficient alternative. Drones not only reduce safety risks but also significantly shorten inspection time and costs, thereby improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the entire inspection process.

[0005] For example, the "A Wind Turbine Blade Lightning Protection and Continuity Test System" disclosed in patent announcement number CN216429837U uses drones and supporting equipment to replace high-altitude workers to complete the continuity test work, eliminating the safety risks of high-altitude operations; the guide arm set on the robotic arm enables the clamping arm to quickly clamp the lightning rod, thereby improving test efficiency.

[0006] For example, patent publication number CN116025527A discloses a "wind turbine blade lightning protection and grounding test device based on a drone". The controller can control the drone to approach the lightning rod through a camera, control the robotic arm to make the bottom end of the robotic arm close to the lightning rod, and the adsorption device can connect the wire to the lightning rod.

[0007] However, since wind turbine blades are often exposed to strong winds, these can cause the drone to wobble, increasing the difficulty and risk of operation. The process of using the robotic arm to clamp the lightning receptor requires a high level of drone control proficiency. Furthermore, the robotic arm must be able to operate stably in unstable environments, making control quite challenging. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone to solve the above problems.

[0009] The present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0010] The blade lightning protection continuity tester based on the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a resistance tester, an unmanned aerial vehicle and a clamping assembly arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle, one terminal of the resistance tester is connected with the test lead, and the other terminal of the resistance tester is connected with the ground terminal of the wind turbine through the test lead.

[0011] The clamping assembly comprises a fixed support and a movable support which is rotatably connected to the fixed support through a rotary motor.

[0012] The movable support is provided with two groups of parallel arranged telescopic rods, the telescopic rods are provided with elastic structure U-shaped clamps at the ends, a first wire reel is installed on the movable support, a connecting lead which is electrically connected with the test lead is wound on the first wire reel, a thimble is arranged at the end of the connecting lead after passing through the two U-shaped clamps, and the thimble is relatively arranged on the outer wall of the connecting lead.

[0013] Preferably, the connecting lead is provided with a conductive part near the thimble.

[0014] Preferably, a second wire reel is installed on the movable support, a pull rope is wound on the second wire reel, the end of the pull rope is connected with the thimble, and a cable connector is installed on the connecting lead.

[0015] Preferably, the cable connector comprises a first threaded part and a second threaded part which are threadedly connected with each other, a motor is installed on the first threaded part, a main gear is arranged at the output end of the motor, and a slave gear which is engaged with the main gear is coaxially arranged on the outer wall of the second threaded part.

[0016] Preferably, the outer side wall of the connecting lead is partially provided with unidirectional clamping teeth along the length direction.

[0017] Preferably, the thimble comprises a thimble body, a clamping rod is rotatably connected in the thimble body, the clamping rod is driven to reset through a torsional spring, and the free end of the clamping rod is unidirectionally clamped and matched with the unidirectional clamping teeth.

[0018] Preferably, the end of the pull rope is connected with the clamping rod.

[0019] Preferably, the telescopic rod is of a rotating flexible structure.

[0020] Preferably, the telescopic rod comprises a plurality of sleeve sections which are sequentially sleeved, a sliding slot is formed in the inner cavity of the sleeve section along the length direction, a rotating shaft is arranged at the end of the sleeve section, an opening is obliquely arranged on one side at the opening of the sleeve section, and the rotating shaft at the end of the sleeve section is slidably and rotatably matched in the sliding slot of the adjacent other sleeve section.

[0021] Preferably, a through hole is provided on the sleeve passing through the slide groove, and the rotating shaft is a press-type spring rotating shaft. When the rotating shaft moves to the through hole position, the two adjacent sleeves can be rotated together under the cooperation of the notch.

[0022] The present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0023] The connecting wire of the present invention is formed into a triangular shape by the cooperation of two U-shaped clips and a collar, and the triangular connecting wire is convenient for socketing with the lightning receptor;

[0024] At the same time, the telescopic rod in the extended state provides shape support for the connecting wires to prevent the triangular connecting wires from being deformed by strong winds.

[0025] The one-way clamping fit between the one-way clamping teeth and the collar ensures that the connecting wire is tightly mounted on the lightning receptor when the connecting wire is tightened, thereby achieving a stable electrical connection between the connecting wire and the lightning receptor.

[0026] The connecting wire can be split into two and disconnected through the cable connector, and then the clamping rod of the ring can be separated from the one-way clamping tooth through the cooperation of the second reel and the pull rope, and the part of the connecting wire remaining on the lightning rod can be loosened and removed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the clamping assembly of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the connecting wire of the present invention is sleeved on the outer wall of the lightning receptor;

[0030] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cable connector of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 2. It is a schematic structural diagram of the telescopic rod of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the first mating state of two sleeves of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the second mating state of the two sleeves of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the ring structure of the present invention.

[0035] The reference numerals in the figures are:

[0036] 1. Blade; 2. Wind turbine grounding terminal; 3. Resistance tester; 4. Lightning arrester; 5. Drone; 6. Clamping assembly;

[0037] 61, fixed support; 62, rotary motor; 63, movable support; 64, telescopic rod; 65, U-shaped clamp; 66, connecting wire; 661, one-way clamping tooth; 662, conductive part; 67, sleeve ring; 68, first wire reel; 69, cable connector; 610, second wire reel; 611, pull rope;

[0038] 641, sleeve; 642, sliding groove; 643, rotating shaft; 644, through hole; 645, notch;

[0039] 671, sleeve ring body; 672, clamping rod;

[0040] 691, first threaded part; 692, second threaded part; 693, motor; 694, main gear; 695, from gear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0042] A blade lightning protection conduction tester based on a UAV, as shown in Figure 1-8 .

[0043] The tester includes a resistance tester 3 and a UAV 5, the UAV 5 can adopt DJI M300, a clamping assembly 6 is carried below the UAV 5, a connecting wire 66 in the clamping assembly 6 is connected with one terminal of the resistance tester 3 through a test wire, and the other terminal of the resistance tester 3 is connected with a grounding terminal 2 of a wind turbine generator through a test wire.

[0044] The clamping assembly 6 includes a fixed support 61, a rotary motor 62, a movable support 63, a telescopic rod 64, a U-shaped clamp 65, a connecting wire 66, a sleeve ring 67, a first wire reel 68, a cable connector 69, a second wire reel 610 and a pull rope 611.

[0045] The fixed support 61 is fixed on the UAV 5, the rotary motor 62 is fixedly installed on the fixed support 61, the downward output end of the rotary motor 62 is installed with the movable support 63, the telescopic rods 64 are installed at the bottom of the movable support 63, the two telescopic rods 64 are vertically arranged, the downward output ends (end portions) of the two telescopic rods 64 are both provided with the U-shaped clamp 65 on the same side, the U-shaped clamp 65 is made of elastic material, and the U-shaped clamp 65 is horizontally arranged.

[0046] The first winding device 68 and the second winding device 610 are installed at the bottom of the movable support 63 and are powered; the outer wall of the first winding device 68 is wound with a connecting wire 66, one end of the connecting wire 66 is connected with the test wire of the resistance tester 3 through a rotary connector, and the other end (free end) is provided with a thimble 67; the outer wall of the second winding device 610 is wound with a pull rope 611, and the free end of the pull rope 611 is connected with the thimble 67.

[0047] As shown in Figure 2 , in use, the connecting wire 66 is embedded in the two U-shaped clamps 65 with elastic clamping, and the thimble 67 at the free end of the connecting wire 66 is sleeved on the connecting wire 66, so that the connecting wire 66 forms a triangular shape. At this time, the position of the cable connector 69 on the connecting wire 66 is as shown in Figure 2 .

[0048] As shown in Figure 4 , the cable connector 69 includes a first threaded part 691, a second threaded part 692, a motor 693, a main gear 694 and a slave gear 695, the first threaded part 691 is detachably threadedly connected with the second threaded part 692, and the first threaded part 691 is located on the side close to the first winding device 68, and the second threaded part 692 is located on the side close to the thimble 67; the motor 693 is fixed on the first threaded part 691, the main gear 694 is arranged at the output end of the motor 693, and the slave gear 695 is arranged on the outer wall of the coaxial second threaded part 692, the main gear 694 and the slave gear 695 adopt a straight gear structure; when the first threaded part 691 and the second threaded part 692 are threadedly connected into one body, the main gear 694 and the slave gear 695 are in meshing state.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5-7 , the telescopic rod 64 adopts a flexible structure, and includes a plurality of sleeve 641 which are sequentially sleeved, the uppermost one of the sleeves 641 is fixed at the bottom of the movable support 63, and the lowermost one of the sleeves 641 is provided with the U-shaped clamp 65;

[0050] The inner cavity of the sleeve 641 is provided with a sliding groove 642 along the length direction thereof, and the upper end of the sleeve 641 is provided with a rotating shaft 643, and the adjacent two sleeves 641 are linearly slid in the sliding groove 642 through the rotating shaft 643 to form a telescopic structure;

[0051] The openings of the sleeves 641 are inclined to the same side to form notches 645, and the sleeves 641 are provided with through holes 644 at positions corresponding to the sliding grooves 642, and the rotating shaft 643 is a press-type spring rotating shaft, which can be clamped into the through hole 644 under the action of the elastic force when the rotating shaft 643 moves to the through hole 644, and at this time, the rotating shaft 643 rotates in the through hole 644 and realizes the free rotation cooperation between the adjacent two sleeves 641 under the cooperation of the notches 645.

[0052] When on the ground, the rotating shaft 643 can be manually pressed to disengage from the through hole 644 .

[0053] The opening direction of the U-shaped clip 65 is consistent with the direction of the notch 645 .

[0054] like Figure 8 As shown, the ring 67 includes a ring body 671, and a channel for the corresponding connecting wire 66 to pass through is opened between the upper and lower sides of the ring body 671. A clamping rod 672 is rotatably connected inside the ring 67. The clamping rod 672 tends to rotate and reset through a torsion spring, and the free end of the clamping rod 672 is unidirectionally clamped with the one-way clamping tooth 661 on the connecting wire 66, and the middle part of the clamping rod 672 is connected to the free end of the pull rope 611.

[0055] Working principle:

[0056] One terminal of the resistance tester 3 is connected to the grounding terminal 2 of the wind turbine generator set through a test wire, and the other terminal of the resistance tester 3 is connected to the connecting wire 66 through a test wire.

[0057] The connecting wire 66 is embedded in the two U-shaped clips 65 so that the connecting wire 66 forms a triangular structure;

[0058] The user controls the drone 5 to drive the mounted clamping assembly 6 to fly to the vicinity of the lightning receptor 4 of the blade 1 .

[0059] The rotating motor 62 drives the movable bracket 63 to rotate relative to the fixed bracket 61, so that the triangular structure connecting wire 66 is formed relative to the front side facing the lightning receptor 4 and the subsequent moving direction of the drone 5.

[0060] During the flight of the drone 5, the telescopic rod 64 tends to extend under the action of gravity. First, the two adjacent sleeves 641 slide linearly together until the rotating shaft 643 moves to and fits into the through hole 644. At this time, the two adjacent sleeves 641 rotate relative to each other; at this time, the first reel 68 is in a relaxed state.

[0061] The bendable and deformable telescopic rod 64 prevents a rigid collision with the blade 1 due to improper operation.

[0062] The drone 5 is controlled to drive the lower edge of the connecting wire 66 in a triangular state to be lower than the lightning rod 4. During the process of the drone 5 driving the connecting wire 66 in a triangular state forward, the lower edge of the connecting wire 66 in a triangular state contacts the lightning rod 4, dragging the connecting wire 66 out of the two U-shaped clips 65, so that the connecting wire 66 is relatively sleeved on the outer wall of the lightning rod 4, and then the drone 5 tightens the connecting wire 66 to reduce the space formed by the connecting wire 66 and the ring 67.

[0063] like Figure 3As shown, the one-way locking teeth 661 on the connecting wire 66 and the one-way locking rod 671 of the collar 67 only narrow the space between the connecting wire 66 and the collar 67, thereby tightly fitting the connecting wire 66 against the outer wall of the lightning receptor 4. At this point, the conductive portion 662 of the connecting wire 66 at a local location just contacts the outer wall of the lightning receptor 4, thereby establishing an electrical connection between the lightning receptor 4 and the battery cell inside the connecting wire 66. This also establishes an electrical connection between the lightning receptor 4 and the resistance tester 3. The lightning protection conductivity test of the blade 1 is then performed.

[0064] During the above process, the second reel 610 is in a relaxed state.

[0065] After the test, the control motor 693 drives the main gear 694 to rotate, and the rotation of the main gear 694 drives the slave gear 695 to rotate, and the rotation of the slave gear 695 drives the second threaded portion 692 to rotate and disengage from the threaded connection with the first threaded portion 691 until the second threaded portion 692 and the first threaded portion 691 are separated; the outer diameter of the second threaded portion 692 and the slave gear 695 on its outside is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the connecting wire 66.

[0066] Afterwards, the second reel 610 works to wind the pull rope 611 around its outer wall. The taut pull rope 611 first drives the clamping rod 672 to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the free end of the clamping rod 672 disengages from the one-way clamping tooth 661 on the connecting wire 66, and then continues to drive the ring 67 away from the lightning rod 4; in this process, part of the connecting wire 66 in the disconnected state can pass through the ring 67 to form a non-closed loop structure, thereby realizing the removal of the connecting wire 66 from the lightning rod 4.

[0067] The above-described embodiments merely represent specific implementations of the present invention. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and all such variations and improvements fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A blade lightning protection continuity tester based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising a resistance tester (3), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (5), and a clamping assembly (6) arranged on the UAV (5), wherein the clamping assembly (6) is connected to a terminal of the resistance tester (3) via a test lead, and the other terminal of the resistance tester (3) is connected to a grounding terminal (2) of a wind turbine generator set via a test lead, characterized in that: The clamping assembly (6) includes a fixed bracket (61) and a movable bracket (63) connected to the fixed bracket (61) and driven by a rotating motor (62) to rotate; The movable bracket (63) is provided with two sets of telescopic rods (64) arranged in parallel, and the ends of the telescopic rods (64) are provided with U-shaped clamps (65) of an elastic structure; a first reel (68) is installed on the movable bracket (63), and a connecting wire (66) electrically connected to the test wire is wound on the first reel (68), and a ring (67) is provided at the end of the connecting wire (66) after passing through the two U-shaped clamps (65), and the ring (67) is relatively sleeved on the outer wall of the connecting wire (66); The telescopic rod (64) is a rotationally flexible structure; The telescopic rod (64) includes a plurality of sleeves (641) that are connected in sequence. A sliding groove (642) is provided in the inner cavity of the sleeve (641) along its length direction. A rotating shaft (643) is provided at the end of the sleeve (641). A notch (645) is provided at the opening of the sleeve (641) that is inclined to one side. The rotating shaft (643) at the end of the sleeve (641) slides and rotates in the sliding groove (642) of another adjacent sleeve (641). A through hole (644) is provided on the sleeve (641) through the slide groove (642). The rotating shaft (643) is a press-type spring rotating shaft. When the rotating shaft (643) moves to the position of the through hole (644), the notch (645) cooperates to realize the rotational cooperation of two adjacent sleeves (641).

2. The blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: A conductive portion (662) is provided at a location of the connecting wire (66) close to the ring (67).

3. The blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second wire reel (610) is installed on the movable bracket (63), a pull rope (611) is wound around the second wire reel (610), an end of the pull rope (611) is connected to a ring (67), and a cable connector (69) is installed on the connecting wire (66).

4. The blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The cable connector (69) comprises a first threaded portion (691) and a second threaded portion (692) which are threadedly electrically connected to each other, a motor (693) being mounted on the first threaded portion (691), a main gear (694) being provided at the output end of the motor (693), and a slave gear (695) being coaxially provided on the outer wall of the second threaded portion (692) and meshing with the main gear (694).

5. The blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone according to claim 3 is characterized in that: One-way latch teeth (661) are provided on the outer side wall of the connecting wire (66) along its length direction.

6. The blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone according to claim 5, characterized in that: The collar (67) comprises a collar body (671), a clamping rod (672) rotatably connected inside the collar body (671), the clamping rod (672) being reset by a torsion spring drive, and a free end of the clamping rod (672) being unidirectionally clamped with a one-way clamping tooth (661).

7. The blade lightning protection continuity tester based on a drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: The end of the pull rope (611) is connected to the clamping rod (672).

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